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2013-14 Season Thursday Recap
Written By: Nick LeMart January 11, 2016 Today, we'll be recapping the game changing 2013-14 Thursday season, which completely rejuvenated the broadcast landscape and allowed for a resurgence in ratings which is still being reverberated to this day. The biggest shakes came from ABC, where it recorded the best season in television history (both literally and relatively speaking), and set a new standard for broadcast networks. The comeback of television was seemingly anchored by veteran legend Grey's Anatomy (1038), a show that began its run as an icon, grew to a powerhouse, and slowly faded into a megahit over the years. Its final season premiered to the biggest numbers in years, and it only grew from there. Biggest phenomenon in the world ever, hands down. Even more amazing was that its halo allowed previous marginal player Last Resort (148) to transform into a borderline megahit at 8pm. They got some respectability out of big hit Scandal ''(141) at 10pm, but the underwhelming retention led to a very controversial in-season cancellation. Massive step in the right direction for previously embattled ABC. CBS, previous Thursday king, lost a lot of ground this season, but still managed a healthy second place finish. Former all-star of television, big hit ''The Big Bang Theory (130) relatively lost a huge chunk of its audience (at 249, it was nearly a powerhouse in 2012-13!). #1 comedy Two and a Half Men (159) relatively fell big but remained a comfortable megahit. Things got sour later in their night, as former hit Person of Interest (64) dropped into clear flop territory while duking it out with ABC at 9pm; it was pulled in the spring after posting several 0.0s. Their 10pm hour was headed by the very marginal Elementary (75), though it should be noted that were it not for its dismal finale number (0.0 against ABC's 100.0), the procedural would've been a solid player at 101. FOX was inarguably in the worst shape during the 2013-14 Thursday boom, as it was well below the solid plateau in the final averages. Quickly declining The X Factor (97) unsurprisingly dropped sub-solid, though it would've pulled a 105 had it not been for its low airing against the Super Bowl. Former phenomenon Glee (80) was clearly marginal, though some of that can be attributed to having to compete with ABC (some standalone episodes actually got into legend territory!), and FOX dealt a huge blow to themselves by cancelling a show that could've probably been at least a megahit in a different timeslot. NBC had a troubling amount of Thursday flops this season, but planted important seeds that would lead to a comeback in 2014-15. Early in the night, Parks and Recreation (56) and Up All Night (56) were clear flops, though the former unfathomably eked out one last renewal. The final season of The Office (44) was a total debacle, though the finale soared to hit-esque numbers. The important seed we talked about was the premiere of megahit 1600 Penn (157). It opened at impressive numbers, and by the end of the season was one of the top draws on television with the finale pulling a legendary rating.